Musical Interlude: Hitchin' A Ride (1969-70)

 Today, hitchhiking is frowned upon, due to the inherent dangers that go with it.

When Vanity Fare released "Hitchin' A Ride", the story was about a young man who took to hitchhiking because of a lack of funds. It peaked at #5 on the Hot 100.

What Might've Been: Working Girl (1990)

 I remember seeing "Working Girl", with Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, and Joan Cusack, in the theatre with my then-girlfriend in 1988. Nearly 2 years later, the movie becomes a sitcom for NBC as a spring replacement------and bombed.

It's easy to assume too much time had passed between the movie, a subsequent video release, and the show, which top-lined Sandra Bullock in Griffith's role as Tess McGill. Nana Visitor, later of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, was given Weaver's part as Bryn Newhouse. Carly Simon's award winning theme, "Let The River Run", was used, but with another artist covering the track. Said artist was not given screen credit, and it's definitely not Carly. One possibility might've been voice actress-singer BJ Ward, who had a recurring role as Tess' mom, I believe it was, a rare gig in front of the camera for Ward.

Unfortunately, NBC gave up on Working Girl, airing just 8 episodes. The series was originally developed with Nancy McKeon (ex-The Facts of Life) in mind, but it'd be a few more years before McKeon found an adult role that worked for her (The Division).

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" was one of the episodes that didn't air, but became available recently on YouTube:

With the video of the movie available by the spring of 1990, viewers voted with their remotes. Sandra Bullock went on to become a major movie star, and thus, TV Land exhumed the series in 1999 for a brief run.

Rating: B+.

Musical Interlude: Pilot of The Airwaves (1979-80)

 British actress-singer-songwriter Charlie Dore had a 1 hit wonder here in the US in the winter of 1979-80 with "Pilot of The Airwaves", which peaked in the top 20 on the Hot 100, and hit #4 on the adult contemporary chart.

A few years later, Charlie co-wrote "Strut", a top 10 hit for Sheena Easton.

What Might've Been: Everything Money Can't Buy (1973-4)

 Thanks to correspondent Mike Doran for the tip on this next item.

You might recall Carl Reiner's failed 1976 sitcom, Good Heavens, an anthology sitcom about an angel granting wishes to average folks. A couple of years earlier, Reiner directed a pilot for the series under a different title.

Everything Money Can't Buy was the pilot in question, with Jose Ferrer as Mr. Angel, and the concept was a little more serious, which might explain why it didn't sell for some odd reason. It was one of the last projects under the familiar Screen Gems banner before the studio was rechristened Columbia Pictures Television in May 1974. Bernard Slade's Thornhill Productions was attached, with writer-creator Slade also acting as executive producer. Slade had flopped at NBC with The Girl With Something Extra, which paired Sally Field with John Davidson.

Money's ensemble cast included Brenda Vaccaro, Bert Convy (The Snoop Sisters, Tattletales), and two supporting players from The Bob Newhart Show, Peter Bonerz & Jack Riley.

This could've been a hit on another network, but viewers weren't ready for a concept like this. No rating.

Musical Interlude: Total Eclipse of The Heart (1983-2024)

 2 1/2 weeks ago, there was a solar eclipse. To mark the occasion, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon teamed with Heart to cover Bonnie Tyler's 1983 smash, "Total Eclipse of The Heart":

Obviously, it was a protracted version, clocking in under 3 minutes. Tyler's original, with producer Jim Steinman adding backing vocals, runs about 5 1/2 minutes:

Get the No-Doz ready! Donald Trump is sleeping in court

 This is the price Donald Trump is paying for waking up in the middle of the night, or staying up all night, take your pick, and whining on Truthless Social.

Four times now, since the current trial began in New York, Trump, who will be 78 in June, was caught napping in the courtroom, and has had to be awakened by attorney Todd Blanche. Most men in Trump's age group usually go to bed at a decent hour, somewhere between 7 & 10 pm, but we've read reports of Trump posting on his site anywhere between midnight and 4 am.

Farron Cousins fills us in.

This is becoming a serious health problem for Trump, even if he doesn't recognize or realize it. And. remember, he constantly has accused current president Joe Biden of being in cognitive decline, and nicknamed him, "Sleepy Joe".

Karma will have the last laugh on Trump before this is over.

What Might've Been: Grand (1990)

 Marcy Carsey & Tom Werner's television empire was rolling as we moved into the 90's. With 2 hit series on NBC, the couple were asked to develop a 3rd sitcom for the network.

Grand began as a mid-season replacement in January 1990, lasting the customary 13 weeks, then getting renewed for a 2nd season, which was also 13 weeks, save for 1 episode that never aired here in the US.

Perhaps the biggest name in the ensemble was Michael McKean (ex-Laverne & Shirley), who had moved on to dual careers in movies and music, the latter as part of Spinal Tap. However, due to other commitments, McKean left the show after the 1st season. Co-star Bonnie Hunt would move on to better things, including her own self-titled sitcom.

Check this sample episode:

Rating: B-.

Sports this 'n' that

 The Zach Wilson era is over for the NY Jets.

Sources are reporting this afternoon that Wilson, after 3 seasons, is heading to Denver for a 6th round pick in this weekend's draft.

For Wilson, it's a chance at a fresh start after coach Sean Payton ran another Wilson---Russell---out of town after last season. Russell Wilson is now in Pittsburgh. Jests GM Joe Douglas fumbled the ball. He had a chance to rid the team of the right wing drama that is Aaron Rodgers and his conspiracy theories, and opted instead to send the underachieving Zach Wilson, a BYU grad, packing.

Look, I get that controversy creates cash, which the Jests are hoping translates into ticket sales if Rodgers can play the season. He's already tarnished his legacy, so, why not?

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When fans go to the ballpark, some will carry gloves in the hopes of catching some foul balls or home runs.

A Colorado Rockies fan, however, mistimed his attempt at precisely the wrong time on Sunday, in the first game of a doubleheader against Seattle. You'll see what I mean in the highlight reel.

Luckily, Colorado won the game, but I feel sorry for the fan, who likely lost his privileges for the rest of the season.

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Less than 24 hours later, another fan caused some havoc at Yankee Stadium in the 1st inning of today's matinee between the Yankees & Oakland.

While umpires have a reputation of having "rabbit ears" when manning the plate, Hunter Wendelstedt, a 2nd generation arbiter who should know better, should've adjusted his antenna, if you will, placing the blame for a fan's verbal abuse against him on Yankee manager Aaron Boone, and Boone suffered the quickest ejection of his career.

Umpires do have the authority to eject fans. Bob Davidson famously did that during his career. Wendelstedt, at least, owes Boone an apology before tomorrow's game.

What Might've Been: The Associates (1979)

 Following the success of Taxi, its producers sold another series to ABC in 1979, another ensemble sitcom, but without the same results.

The Associates was another workplace comedy, this time in a law firm. Oh, the prospect was there for a crossover with Taxi, but, insofar as I know, it didn't happen. What did happen, however, since the series came from the pen of John Jay Osborn, Jr., author of The Paper Chase. John Houseman reprised as Professor Charles Kingsfield for a 1-shot.

As for the cast, most of them went on to other things after the series ended.

Wilfred Hyde-White joined the cast of Buck Rogers in The 25th Century in season 2.

Martin Short (ex-SCTV) moved on to I'm a Big Girl Now the very next year before embarking on a modest movie career and appearing on Saturday Night Live. He currently stars in Only Murders in The Building with Steve Martin and Selena Gomez.

Tim Thomerson (ex-Quark) would later return to television in Sirens & Land's End after he, too, made some movies.

Joe Regalbuto took the guest star route, including a villainous role on Mork & Mindy in season 4 before landing the role of his career on Murphy Brown.

BB King performed the title song for the show. Right now, here's a sample episode.

No rating.

If you slept on the Mets, it's on you

 Entering today's game at Dodger Stadium vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets sit 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the National League East. Both the Braves & Mets have won 6 straight entering play today. 2nd place Philadelphia almost has to win to keep pace, and hold on to their position, with the Mets 1/2 game behind the Phillies.

The Mets have gone 12-3 since a 0-5 start. That includes taking 2 of 3 from Atlanta, and the Phillies haven't played the Mets yet this season. However, consider what has happened of late to Mets opponents.

The Kansas City Royals, 2 games behind Cleveland in the AL Central entering play today, won 2 of 3 from division rival Chicago after leaving Citi Field last week. However, barring a late rally, they could lose 2 of 3 to Baltimore. You can argue the Mets cooled them off, taking 2 of 3 last weekend.

The Pittsburgh Pirates came to New York Monday in 1st place in the NL Central. Today, they're in 4th place, and in danger of getting swept again, this time at home against Boston. Yep, the Mets cooled off the Pirates.

The Dodgers have dropped three straight after losing the first two games of this series vs. the Mets. Struggling Tyler Glasnow gets the call today after getting strafed by Washington in his last start, while the Mets counter with Adrian Houser. New York has kept Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and company in the ballpark, though there's no guarantee that'll still be the case today, to be fair.

And, here's the scary part. Former Dodger JD Martinez is getting ready to be called to Flushing, to give Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, DJ Stewart, et al some backup. Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is on the IL with a torn thumb ligament, prompting the return of fan favorite Tomas Nido. 

After today, the Mets go to San Francisco, where the opportunity exists to abuse Blake Snell yet again. No wonder Mets fans on Reddit are giddy. But, then, they're also fickle, and as soon as things go south, they'll go back to whining.

Enjoy the ride, kids. It's a long way to October, after all.

What Might've Been: Meego (1997)

 After CBS acquired Step by Step & Family Matters from ABC for the purpose of creating their own Friday comedy block, the producers added a new series that borrowed concepts from three other shows.

Meego, however, ran into trouble almost from the beginning. Bronson Pinchot (ex-Perfect Strangers) had the lead as a shape-changing alien who takes on the job of acting as a babysitter/housekeeper for a single dad (Ed Begley, Jr., ex-St. Elsewhere) and his three children. 

The familiar factors?

1. Alien crashes his spaceship in the backyard of a common Earth family, and moves in (think ALF).

2. The domestic job (similar to another Miller-Boyett bomb, Out of The Blue, which the producers developed for Paramount & ABC 18 years earlier, though the lead there was an angel).

3. Miller-Boyett tried to duplicate the success of Mork & Mindy, but they did not give Meego a love interest. Robin Williams would've known what to do with the character of Meego. We think.

Erik von Detten ("Toy Story") appears in the pilot, but was replaced by Will Estes in the next episode. Not sure why. Michelle Trachtenberg (ex-The Adventures of Pete & Pete) & Jonathan Lipnicki are the other children. Family Matters co-star Jaleel White made a pair of uncredited cameos early on, not as Steve Urkel, but as other characters. It was almost as if the producers were reluctant to add Meego to the same shared universe as Matters & Perfect Strangers.

Check the opener:

I've always felt a show like this belonged on Saturday mornings. ABC tested Out of The Blue one Saturday due to delays with their cartoon lineup.

Rating: C.

Forgotten TV: Home Free (1993)

 ABC did its level best to keep its Friday TGIF block relevant from top to bottom in the mid-90's, but not everything that made the lineup clicked.

Take, for example, Home Free, a spring replacement series in 1993. An ensemble comedy built around the staff of a newspaper.

Matthew Perry, about a year and a half away from Friends, top-lined. The ensemble also included veteran Marian Mercer, Alan Oppenheimer, who hadn't had a live-action series gig since season 1 of The Six Million Dollar Man, where he was replaced by Martin E. Brooks, and spent the 80's and early 90's as a voice actor, Brooke Theiss (ex-Just The Ten of Us), and Dan Schneider (ex-Head of The Class). I think part of the reason Oppenheimer stopped getting live action gigs might've been because casting directors kept confusing him with Gavin MacLeod, but that's just me.

Following is a sample episode:

As everyone knows by now, Schneider later became a producer at Nickelodeon, and wound up losing that gig a while back due to allegations of sexual harassment/abuse, which forms the basis for the current Investigation Discovery series, Quiet on Set.

No rating.

Advertising For Dummies: Schneider's last job is a commercial (1986)

 One Day at a Time had ended its CBS run in 1984. Two years later, Pat Harrington brought back his character from the show, building superintendent Dwayne Schneider, to do a commercial for Trak Auto, filmed in Maryland. Check it.

I think he might've done a series of spots for Trak Auto, but this so far is the only one on YouTube.

Musical Interlude: My Hometown (1985)

 Bruce Springsteen was in town the other night, and one can imagine this track was on his playlist.

"My Hometown" was released as a single to promote "The Boss"' live package covering the period between 1975-85, and is a tender ballad with a softer than usual beat, in that Clarence Clemons swapped out his saxophone for a tambourine. Bruce's future wife, Patti, also plays the tambourine, with Nils Lofgren subbing for Steven Van Zandt on guitar.

Weasels of The Week: Oklahoma State Athletic Commission

 Thanks to fellow blogger Chuck Miller for the tip.

All Elite Wrestling held its first event in Oklahoma back in January. During the taping for Ring of Honor's weekly program on Honor Club, former AEW women's champion Nyla Rose won a squash match. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Not as far as the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission's concerned, unfortunately.

The OSAC has specific guidelines for boxing, MMA, kickboxing, and, of course, pro wrestling. In the case of the latter, it says nothing about transgender athletes vs. "cisgender" ones. Rose, of course, is a transgender wrestler, and the first trans wrestler to become a world champion. She's also an actress (as Chuck revealed) and dabbled in writing comics not too long ago.

So the OSAC sent a letter to AEW's Tony Khan warning him about using Rose the next time AEW/ROH hits Sooner Country, which, in their small minded point of view, will lead to fines against the promotion.

I call BS. The OSAC is all about pushing their political agenda, discriminating against trans athletes such as Rose. AEW also has openly gay wrestlers such as Anthony Bowens of the Acclaimed, and current women's champ Toni Storm, while married to currently injured Juice Robinson, is bi-sexual.

To politicians up & down the Bible Belt, a transgender man or woman is an abomination. AEW, like most of the country, is inclusive in every way imaginable, and will sign anyone regardless of preferences.

That having been said, the OSAC gets a box of Weasel ears for their bigotry and attempting to bully Khan and his troupe. I would recommend that the OSAC gets a total overhaul before AEW/ROH or even WWE returns to Oklahoma.

An era ends in the Bronx

 The news was shocking, but not surprising, on Monday.

Long time Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling announced his retirement, to take effect immediately, after his 2nd stint with the team, which began in 1989. Sterling had previously hosted a radio pre-game show with Hall of Famer Mel Allen for WMCA in the 70's. Sterling did not accompany the team to Cleveland or Toronto for their road trip, making the announcement on radio in New York.

In between tours in New York, Sterling spent time in the 80's in Atlanta, calling Braves & Hawks games for WTBS. He'd started his career in Baltimore years earlier, as the play-by-play radio voice of the then-Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards).

Upon the launch of the YES network in 2002, Sterling was brought back to television to host the team's answer to Biography, Yankeeography, and hosted the annual Old Timers Day event at Yankee Stadium. In more recent times, however, Sterling's age was catching up to him, as his vision, one would suspect, began to betray him. He would assume a home run, only to correct himself when the fly ball was caught by an opposing outfielder.

NY Daily News media columnist Bob Raissman, noting the homerism in radio broadcasts with Sterling and analyst Suzyn Waldman, dubbed the team as "Ma & Pa Pinstripe", a play on the "Ma & Pa Kettle" movie series in the 40's. Sterling will be honored at Yankee Stadium Saturday for his years of service. I'm guessing that Ryan Ruocco, fresh off calling the NCAA women's basketball tournament for ESPN/ABC, is filling in for Sterling until a full-time successor can be found.

Sterling had signed a new deal several months back allowing for a reduced work schedule, similar to what the Mets' Howie Rose signed, but, realistically, Sterling should've seen the writing on the wall well before that. Hindsight, and all that. For now, an era in baseball broadcasting in NY is over, and the Yankees would be hard pressed to find someone that can carry the mail for years to come.

Congratulations, John. You've earned it.

Sports this 'n' that

 You can't say I didn't warn you.

Looking at Sunday's Michigan-Houston game, the first half of a UFL doubleheader on ABC, there was no effort made in Detroit to disguise the fact that there were SO many empty seats. In the nightcap in San Antonio, the use of the lighting in certain areas of the Alamodome made sure those empty seats were hidden from view.

I don't have the attendance figures, but given that the Tigers are off to a solid start in baseball, more people are interested in seeing them than the Michigan Panthers at the moment, and those that remember the past failures of the XFL & USFL are certain to believe this iteration of the UFL will be no different.

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"Caitlinmania" has hit Saturday Night Live.

Caitlin Clark, the Iowa superstar expected to be the #1 draft pick in the WNBA draft tonight, appeared during the Weekend Update segment, which caught co-anchor Michael Che by surprise.

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After starting 0-5, the Mets have won three straight series, with Kansas City the latest victim on Sunday. A bloop single by Harrison Bader opened the door for 2 runs in the home 8th, and while Edwin Diaz gave up a solo homer to Vinny Pasquatino in the 9th, he was able to pick up his 3rd save, as the Mets escaped with a 2-1 win. Bethlehem graduate Matt Quatraro can be happy he won one game in this series, an 11-7 slugfest on Saturday.

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USAA and Fox NFL Sunday's resident lunkhead, Rob Gronkowski, threw out the 1st pitch prior to today's Patriots Day game between Boston & Cleveland, won by the Guardians. Gronkowski spiked the ball, thinking he'd scored a touchdown. I'm convinced he's not just putting on an act in those commercials......!

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I'm sure you've heard by now that the folks behind Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? have mounted a new version of the game, Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?. No joke. Super Bowl hero Travis Kelce has been tapped to host the show, which will debut later this year, apparently, as a summer fill-in. One has to hope Kelce isn't another Peyton Manning as an MC. Manning's reboot of the College Bowl appears to have been dry-docked by NBC after 2 seasons.

It's only April, but someone's trying to screw voters in Saratoga County

 According to today's Albany Times-Union, someone is posing as an elections official in Saratoga County, going door-to-door to question Democratic voters about signing a petition for Democratic county treasurer candidate Michelle Madigan.

Commissioner Cassandra Bagramian has put the word out to remind everyone that impersonating a licensed election official is a crime. Bagramian alerted her GOP counterparts, and, as of now, there is cooperation on both sides.

It's easy to assume that this scammer is a GOP operative, but we don't know that for sure. A similar scam was run in Warren & Washington counties last year. Madigan is running against Joann Kupferman in the general election in November.

This is the kind of bi-partisan cooperation that has been missing in Washington the last few years. In time, we'll learn who is responsible not only for this, but the scams last year as well. Personally, it's probably some independent contractor who is just looking to stir the pot. I hope they find this clown.

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All this week, lawyers for former president Donald Trump have tried and failed to delay his pending criminal trial in New York. The biggest perp walk to the courtroom of all time is set for Monday morning, and Trump is calling for his supporters to help him.

"I need you in New York on Monday, or all hell breaks loose!!!"

Yeah, he's that scared.

What the lawyers have tried is recycling previously dismissed motions to delay based on such things as pre-trial publicity. If you believe the popular notion that Trump wants to "run out the clock" in the hope he gets re-elected in November, that's a little too far fetched at this point. A lifetime of entitlement and privilege has led to this. Some believe that Trump, who will be 78 in June, is suffering from some form of dementia, which is what claimed the life of his father, Fred, some years ago. He doesn't have attorney Roy Cohn to save him, either.

Basically, if this goes as expected, Trump is SOL, and he deserves it.

What Might've Been: Hardball (1994)

 Fictional baseball teams don't seem to succeed on television for some reason.

For example, Paramount took a chance on turning the original "Bad News Bears" into a sitcom for CBS in 1979. They were better served mounting this as a children's show. Four years later, NBC tried a drama, Bay City Blues, from the producers of Hill Street Blues. Lasted a month.

In 1994, during the baseball strike, Fox tried Hardball, which was clearly a case of trying to pick up the audience that had seen the "Major League" movies. Hardball marked the return to primetime of sitcom legend Rose Marie (ex-The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Doris Day Show, Hollywood Squares), leading an ensemble of players, some of whom would find greater success, including:

Dann Florek (later of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

Phill Lewis (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody).

Joe Rogan (NewsRadio, Fear Factor), now a podcaster and UFC commentator, better known now for his warped political views.

Bruce Greenwood (ex-St. Elsewhere, later of Nowhere Man).

Check the opener, introduced by Terry Bradshaw & Howie Long.

Another flop. Fox was better off having Married... With Children airing in front of it, instead of after it.

No rating. Just a public service.

Musical Interlude: Cool Love (1981-3)

 Pablo Cruise's final top 40 hit was "Cool Love", the 1st single off 1981's "Reflector". I remember going to a Record Town knock-off, Record City, to buy the vinyl single right before graduating from high school. The following clip came two years later, when the band appeared on Solid Gold:

What Might've Been: Rachel Gunn, RN (1992)

 The story was that Rachel Gunn, RN was originally meant to be a vehicle for country singer KT Oslin, but Oslin dropped out because she felt the title character was too mean.

It was also meant to air on CBS, but ended up going to Fox instead, as a spring-summer replacement series. Unfortunately, Gunn ended up lasting just the one season, though for two cast members, it might've been a godsend, after all.

Christine Ebersole (ex-Saturday Night Live) was cast as Gunn after Oslin dropped out. As a bonus, Ebersole also recorded a solo cover of Huey Lewis & The News' "Workin' For a Livin'", which came out 10 years earlier. One can only imagine "Workin'" with a Nashville beat if Oslin had recorded it. It wasn't long after Gunn ended that Kevin Conroy (Dr. Dunkel) moved right into another series for Fox, one that would define his career------Batman: The Animated Series launched just a few days after Gunn's last episode. Megan Mullally would later co-star on Will & Grace. Dan Tullis, Jr. was already on Columbia's payroll, having appeared in a recurring role on Married...With Children.

In this sampler, Gunn falls for a rodeo star. Vlade Divac, then with the Los Angeles Lakers, appears briefly in an unlikely role.

Rating: B.

They've built a revolving door in Flushing

 The 2024 baseball season isn't even a month old, counting the 2 game series between San Diego & the Los Angeles Dodgers in South Korea, but 1st year Mets executive David (Bear) Stearns is showing already that he has no patience for underachievement.

Last week, the Mets signed former Atlanta pitcher Julio Teheran, who'd been cut by Baltimore in pre-season, and put him on the mound against his original club Monday night at Truist Park. Teheran couldn't get out of the 3rd inning, as the Braves took an early 4-0 lead. However, the Mets won the game, 8-7, thanks to a pair of homers from Brandon Nimmo and a game winner from DJ Stewart.

Photo courtesy Associated Press.

This morning, Teheran was designated for assignment by the Mets, the 3rd pitcher the team has effectively cut in the last two weeks. Relievers Phil Bickford & Yohan Ramirez have also been DFA'd. Bickford was released, and Ramirez got the DFA label on Monday to make room for Teheran. The Mets, now 4-6 after an 0-5 start, are showing signs of finally getting it together on offense, but the pitching is in dire need of help because of the brutal early season schedule.

It's almost as if Stearns is channeling the spirit of the late Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, while Steinbrenner's son, Hal, runs the Bombers with a more patient hand. Weird, isn't it?

Now, what do you do for an encore?

 Wrestlemania is in the books, the first without former WWE CEO/Chairman Vince McMahon, who is continuing to sell off his stock shares.

Son-in-law Paul Levesque, aka Triple H, ran the show this year, and, in the eyes of many, hit a home run right off the bat. By the time they signed off around 10 pm (ET) on Sunday, WWE was ready to write some new stories.

Sunday's highlights:

McMahon's daughter, Stephanie, who turned up at the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, opened Sunday's show. You could see there was a sense of relief, knowing her father wasn't there, but, as she admitted, she'd been to every Wrestlemania, either as a performer, creative team member, or just as part of the McMahon family, since the first one in 1985 at Madison Square Garden. The Philly crowd loved her.

4 years after winning the WWE title during the COVID pandemic, Scotland's Drew McIntyre dethroned Seth Rollins, only for Judgment Day's Damian Priest to cash in the Money in The Bank briefcase, and claim the title himself. Online commentators speculated that McIntyre could challenge for the title in his native Scotland at Clash at The Castle in June.

After her Damage CTRL teammates fell in defeat on Saturday, Japan's Iyo Sky (formerly known as Io Shirai) dropped the WWE women's title to Bayley, which will have supporters of the faction fuming about how the team has failed again at the big dance.

Finally, and most importantly, Cody Rhodes "finished his story" by overcoming the Bloodline Rules, with help from John Cena and the Undertaker, to dethrone Roman Reigns.

Ever since winning the Universal title (now simply the WWE title) in 2020 at Summerslam, Reigns' title defenses have been overbooked for whatever reason, but this time, because this trope had long passed its expiration date, Rhodes got some much needed backup.

This morning, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson moved back onto WWE's alumni page, as he will be off making or promoting movies for the next 3-4 months. When he does return, will he still be the "Final Boss", his new heel persona, or does he revert back to being the beloved icon he was before? We'd have to find out.

Meanwhile, job 1 for Levesque and WWE is to heed the advice of Bob Seger and "Turn The Page":

It was 50 years ago tomorrow.........

 It was the story in Major League Baseball to begin the 1974 season. No, not the Oakland A's quest for a 3-peat in the World Series, though that would happen six months later.

When the season began in April, Atlanta's Hank Aaron was pursuing history, taking aim at Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs. He tied the record, as memory serves, against Cincinnati. On April 8, on NBC's Monday Night Baseball, Aaron and the Braves faced the Los Angeles Dodgers. I remember sitting at home----well, actually, I was on the carpet----with my folks, watching the game 'til bedtime.

The video, posted by MLB's YouTube channel, is from the NBC broadcast. However, the audio is the Dodgers' radio broadcast, with venerable Vin Scully on the call. I am not sure if there's any video with Curt Gowdy's original call for NBC available online at present.

No one knows what happened to the two publicity seeking fans that ran on the field to congratulate Aaron. They likely had seen their last game, as they were probably ejected for getting on the field, which is still a no-no for fans.

Hank Aaron finished his career where it began in the majors, in Milwaukee, before going into the Hall of Fame. We lost Aaron in 2021. In many people's minds, he's still the true home run king, not Barry Bonds. That argument will continue forever.

"Finishing the story" has been a theme in sports this weekend

 The theme surrounding tonight's WWE Universal title rematch between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania has been about Rhodes "finishing the story" after getting screwed last year by the Bloodline. Reigns (Joe Anoia) has lost all credibility as a heel champion because he can't win any title defense without help from his family. He thinks he has the ultimate trump card now with his cousin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, as a member of the TKO Holdings Board of Directors.

As ESPN's Lee Corso would say, "not so fast, my friends, not so fast".

Reigns' 3 1/2 year run has been pockmarked with tainted title defenses, but his biggest patron, disgraced former chairman Vince McMahon, isn't there anymore, having been forced out a few months back. For Nick Khan, Ari Emanuel, & Paul "Triple H" Levesque, tonight is about letting Cody finish his story, so WWE can, in the words of Bob Seger, "turn the page", and move on.

We've already seen a heel champion succeed without cheating this weekend.

Roxanne Perez turned heel on NXT women's champ Lyra Valkyria a few weeks back, and, in subsequent promos, the "Prodigy" has edited out the fact that she competed and lost her bid to regain the title last year at Stand & Deliver. Saturday, in Philadelphia, at the same event, Perez, 22, finished her story, now one of not so much redemption, but fraught with resentment over perceived slights in her year-long quest to get back to the top.

In submitting Valkyria, Perez got it done the right way, not needing any unnecessary outside help. Tatum Paxley, whose story arc with Valkyria recalls a classic story arc between Trish Stratus & Mickie James, both now Hall of Famers, back in 2005-6, tried to help, but Perez dispatched her as well en route to becoming a 2-time champion.

To further illustrate the theme, we must shift over to women's college basketball, and what most thought would be the final chapter of "Caitlinmania", as Iowa's Caitlin Clark and the Lady Hawkeyes vied for the NCAA women's title against South Carolina, which had a story of its own to finish, one of a perfect season, something that hasn't happened in women's basketball since UConn did it 8 years ago.

Basketball's new golden girl

Iowa eliminated Connecticut on Friday, thanks to a questionable offensive foul call charged to UConn, which would have people thinking the game was rigged in favor of Iowa. I'd like to think that shouldn't be the case. Today, Iowa jumped out to an early lead, but went into halftime trailing South Carolina by 3, 49-46. The Lady Gamecocks went on to win their 3rd title, and complete the perfect season, and, in effect, finish their story, with an 87-75 win. Clark played every second of this game, as Iowa's coaches relied heavily on their superstar in her final college game. Clark may not be heading to the Olympics, but she has declared for the WNBA draft.

Cody, now it's your turn.

This week in GOP stupidity

 "Dumb Donald is really dumb!"---Gene Rayburn, Match Game, 1973-84.

Donald Trump is SO desperate to avoid accountability, he has had his ambulance chasers try to have a subpoena issued against NBC-Universal-Comcast. claiming collusion in relation to a documentary on adult film actress Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford), whose case against Trump goes to court on April 15.

Judge Juan Merchan, who has taken more abuse from the Archduke of Affluenza than legally allowed, blocked the subpoena, referring to this attempt as nothing more than a fishing expedition. Earlier in the week, Trump continued his unhinged attacks on Merchan and his daughter, only to have a pre-existing gag order expanded so that it has to stop. As if that'll happen. Trump responds to such rebuke by acting like a spoiled child, an embarrassing situation for a man whose physical age is closer to 80 than 8.

The more Trump leads with his mouth, the more he gets in trouble. And that's entirely his fault.

This morning's earthquake didn't have much of an effect in the hometown, but it was felt in New York City and New Jersey.

And, because she feels she needs a headline per day, Georgia Misrepresentative Empty-G (Marjorie Taylor Greene) took a page from the late Pat Robertson's playbook, and claimed the earthquake was an act of God, and, in her twisted mind, so is the solar eclipse set for Monday.

Greene, like Robertson before her, believes that God is responsible because He wants Americans to repent for their sins. Apparently, Congress' Dumb Dora failed science class in high school and/or college, as several commenters on Yahoo! and social media roasted Greene, and schooled her on why earthquakes happen in the first place.

It's kind of weird for Greene to invoke God, but, then again, she and other Republicans try to wrap themselves around their pseudo-Christian beliefs to keep their evangelical supporters snowed.

As a Christian myself, I'm insulted by people like Greene.

What Might've Been: Listen Up! (2004)

 Listen Up! is actually 2 shows in one.

The titular sports talk show is a knock-off of ESPN's Pardon The Interruption, whose co-host, Tony Kornheiser, was the inspiration for the sitcom, with his fictional counterpart played by Jason Alexander (ex-Seinfeld), who doubled as a producer. The series is set in Philadelphia instead of Washington, DC, where Interruption has been based since its inception. Malcolm Jamal-Warner (ex-The Cosby Show) co-stars.

Away from the talk show set, it's just another domestic sitcom. While the real Kornheiser is a humorist when writing his columns, Alexander, seeking to shed the image of his Seinfeld persona as George, is just another sitcom dad.

Let's take a look at a sample episode with guest stars Julia Duffy & Peter Scolari, reunited from their days on Newhart:

20 years later, Pardon The Interruption rolls on, while Listen Up! is but a footnote in television history. No rating.

Forgotten TV: Soul Man (1997)

 Of the original cast of Saturday Night Live, only four cast members would land primetime network gigs after leaving the show, three of them in lead roles.

Jane Curtin (Kate & Allie, 3rd Rock From The Sun).

Chevy Chase (Community). Chase also tried a late night talk show that bombed.

Garrett Morris landed supporting roles on Hunter & The Jamie Foxx Show.

The one everyone forgets is Dan Aykroyd. Aside from movies, Dan had returned to television not only with the syndicated Psi Factor, but a short-lived ABC sitcom, Soul Man, which parlayed a 3 episode test run in April 1997 into a full season order five months later.

Soul Man took a supporting character from Home Improvement, and brought him over, with Aykroyd top-lining as a widowed Episcopal priest with three sons. There would crossovers with Improvement in the form of guest appearances by Zachary Ty Bryan & Richard Karn during season 2.

Because it was more of a domestic sitcom than a religious-centric one, that would explain Soul Man getting that 2nd season.

In this sampler, Pastor Mike learns his eldest son is failing geometry. I can relate.

Before you get the pitchforks out for not including Jim Belushi's According to Jim, remember, we were discussing the original SNL troupe.

No rating. Just a public service.

Golden Throats live!: Anything is Possible (2024)

 It's not enough that Lara Trump, wife of Stupid-E, co-chair of the Republican National Committee after father-in-law Donald Trump bullied Ronna McDaniel out, is reaping the benefits of her new gig. She thinks she's a pop star. Well, at one time, so did Paris Hilton, but Paris did the smart thing, and gave it up just as quickly as she tried it.

"Anything is Possible" is not a cover of an old Debbie Gibson track. No, Lara co-wrote this one herself, but, as you'll hear, she's not even in Gibson's class as a singer or a songwriter. She's made William Hung look like a Grammy winner by comparison.

After the Democratic National Committee produced a diss track via artificial intelligence, Lara, who actually challenged the Democrats, and other critics, went whining to Fox No News.

To think that Lara previously butchered the late Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down". However, chalk this up as the latest in a long line of Trump family failures.

On The Air: WWE Speed (2024)

 In 2005, WWE moved Velocity & Heat (formerly Sunday Night Heat) to their website for online viewing after ending their contract with Spike TV (now Paramount Network), and moving Monday Night Raw back to USA Network.

19 years later, WWE is taking the next step, presenting its first series intended solely for social media. Enter WWE Speed.

2 matches per week, 3 minute time limit per match, at least for now, and the series begins with a tournament to crown the new brand's 1st champion. Corey Graves (Smackdown) goes it alone on commentary, as there's no room for a color analyst.

Fans are posting the matches on Reddit, which enables me to review the show.

Today's opener kicks off the tournament, and, believe me, you need to see these matches to see how this new format works. With a 3 minute time limit, there is no margin for error. Every second counts.

We're digging.

Rating: A.

Musical Interlude: Church of The Poison Mind (1983)

 If it wasn't for the fact that it was England's Culture Club which released "Church of The Poison Mind", off 1983's "Colour by Numbers", the GOP could accept this as their new theme song, given their fealty to a false god (Donald Trump, natch).

Jokes aside, singer Helen Terry joins Boy George and company for this one. All 4 band members collaborated on the writing of "Church", which is a throwback to the Holland-Dozier-Holland-penned Motown classics of the 60's.

Forget about impeachment. Now Republicans want to bring criminal charges against the Bidens

 There is definitely something in the "blue grass" of Kentucky.

Kentucky Misrepresentative James "Gomer" Comer has admitted that his attempts to impeach President Biden aren't going so well, so he now wants to issue a criminal referral to the Department of Justice.

But, there's one problem that, as Farron Cousins points out, Comer will never admit to. He has no evidence for even a criminal case.

This is how desperate the GOP is to clear the path for Donald Trump. Comer is passing the buck on the blame for no other reason than to just deflect and refuse to accept accountability for wasting taxpayer dollars on a snipe hunt ordered by Trump.

"Well, golllllleeee!! How does he still have a job?"

Because Kentuckians are too stubborn to realize they've been repeatedly duped. Comer is hoping to get a Cabinet post if Diaper Don, the Archduke of Affluenza, returns to the White House. Kentucky hasn't really had anyone with common sense since Colonel Sanders.

The DOJ will likely take Comer's referrals and toss them in the appropriate box. A recycling box.

Only Republicans would whine on Easter Sunday---just because another holiday shared the day

 As we all celebrated Easter on Sunday, it was not the only holiday.

There was also the Transgender Day of Visibility, which began in 2010. However, few would've known about it if President Biden had not made a proclamation recently that got conservatives and Republicans up in arms over a mound of nothing.

I will freely admit that until Biden had spoken up on behalf of the transgender community, I didn't know this holiday existed. Republicans, however, have made it part of their culture war mission to disrespect and shame the LGBTQ+ community. Unlike Easter, the Transgender Day of Visibility has one consistent date, March 31. Easter, as fellow blogger Chuck Miller pointed out earlier today, falls three weeks later next year, on April 20.

File photo courtesy Associated Press.

It's the coincidental timing of Easter and the TDoV falling on the same day that has Republicans up in arms, whining, crying, and humiliating themselves because of their blatant, willful ignorance. Next year, they won't have the same argument, but they'll likely cry on Easter anyway, because of the alternate connotations of 4/20.......!